Mark Morris Dance Group

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sexy. It still is, but fewer of us notice anymore. Never cheap, dance companies (dancers, sets, costumes, and occasionally live music) are increasingly expensive to tour and present, with government support thinning and dance audiences continuing to shrink. So I read with keen interest a story last month by Lewis Segal, distinguished dance critic of the Los Angeles Times, in which he predicted that this summer's television reality series hits Dancing with the Stars and So You Think You Can Dance might regenerate mainstream popularity for concert dance.

For its part, the University Musical Society kicks off its lively new season with an extended dance focus on Friday and Saturday, September 16 and 17, including a public discussion of the issues facing dance today with a panel of experts drawn from the Michigan dance community — and two performances at the Power Center by one of the premier companies of our time, the Mark Morris Dance Group.